The 2026 U.S. National Swimming Championships opened on Tuesday, July 28, at the outdoor William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, California. The first night of finals featured record-breaking swims from Anna Moesch in the 100-meter freestyle, a milestone victory for nine-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel, and tactical battles in the butterfly events.
Anna Moesch Lowers American Record in the 100 Freestyle
Rising University of Virginia junior Anna Moesch broke the American record in the women’s 100-meter freestyle for the second time this season, clocking 51.88 seconds to capture the national title on opening night in Irvine. Moesch lowered her own previous national mark of 51.94, which she had swum on May 25, eclipsing the longstanding benchmark of 52.04 previously held by Olympic gold medalist Simone Manuel.
The winning performance stands as the fifth-fastest time in history globally. It trails only three swims by Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen—who owns the world record at 51.68—and one time from former world record holder Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden. Moesch reflected on the mechanical adjustments that fueled her rapid ascent from tying for eighth at the 2024 Olympic Trials to breaking records on the national stage.
She added that she is really learning how to piece them all together
after entering the season with a personal best of 53.54.
Caeleb Dressel Earns First National Meet Victory Since 2024 Trials
Nine-time Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel secured his first victory in the 100-meter freestyle at a national meet since the 2022 trials. The win also marks his first individual triumph at a top-level meet since he touched first in the 50 free at the 2024 Olympic Trials. Dressel missed the 2025 Nationals while taking a break after the Paris Games to focus on fatherhood, and he is building up toward a potential career-fourth Olympic appearance at the home Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
In the evening final, Dressel clocked 47.70 seconds, marking his fastest time in the event since the 2024 trials. The morning preliminary heats had already signaled a fast race, with four swimmers breaking the 48-second barrier: Brooks Curry led the prelims at 47.56, followed by Patrick Sammon (47.83), Maximus Williamson (47.93), and Dressel (47.98), according to Swimswam’s live recap.
Dressel expressed deep appreciation for his return to competition, noting that he enjoys the sport immensely and that his current mindset feels like freshman year right now, pretty good time for freshman year.
He credited coach Steve Jungbluth for helping him rebuild his technique from the ground up, using a simple driving analogy: Me and Steve like to say, ‘Learn to drive the car.’ I’m pretty good at driving the car, and I’m getting back to what some of my roots are.
Urlando and Bellard Claim Butterfly Titles in Irvine
The opening night finals also showcased tactical racing in both the men’s and women’s 200-meter butterfly events. In the men’s race, 2025 World champion Luca Urlando held off 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun by 14 hundredths of a second to win in 1:54.45. Urlando returned to the distance for the first time since claiming gold last July, following a period dealing with injuries. His winning mark places him third in the world this year behind France’s Leon Marchand (1:53.08) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (1:54.28).
The Toyota USA Swimming National Championships continue through Saturday at the Woollett Aquatics Center, with nightly finals broadcast live on Peacock and NBCSN, serving as a primary peak meet for athletes not competing in the upcoming Pan Pacific Championships.
